Ballot tallying should begin before election
It would seem to be common sense that in a crucial presidential election in which an unprecedented number of Pennsylvanians will be voting by mail, that the General Assembly would enact legislation which would allow for county elections offices to begin tallying ballots well before Nov. 3.
(Only in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Mississippi, and Alabama is advance vote-tallying of mail-in ballots currently precluded by law).
Why has such sensible legislation not been forthcoming? Because General Assembly Republicans will not agree to a clean bill. They insist on doing the president’s bidding: adding to such a bill the elimination of ballot drop boxes and the ability for “poll watchers” to be able to enter polling stations which are outside their county of residence.
The intransigence of the Republicans has highly destructive potential. The president has called for his supporters to enter polling places and “watch very carefully” what transpires, which can be seen as an effort to intimidate voters. Donald Trump Jr. has called for an “army of able-bodied people” to provide “election security” for his father, another threat to the democratic process. The president has stated that the only way he will lose is if the election is rigged, and he has not committed to accepting the result of the election or enabling a peaceful transfer of power that has defined our country and distinguished it from dictatorships throughout our history.
Ballot-counting in Pennsylvania surely will not be completed on election night if current law stands. This could result in the president initially claiming victory in our key state before the ballots can be counted and for civil unrest to take place as the counting of ballots and ensuing dispute and acrimony extends over days or weeks.
Most Americans believe that there is a high probability of violence to take place in the streets if a dispute over the election result that cannot be immediately resolved occurs. All Pennsylvanians should hold the Republican members of the General Assembly responsible if their unwillingness to act brings about chaos and violence.
Oren Spiegler
Peters Township